Ajin 1-2-3
by Dreamingfox
Summary: Motoko always knew she was different. Rated M to be safe.


The gentle breeze carried the scent of the cherry blossoms to the usually street. Though the nearby school had just let out only a handful of students had departed as most were busy with their club activities. It was the perfect time for the seedy predators as the handful of young school girls. Years of experience taught them to focus on the girls that were traveling alone. Though there were some who failed to meet their standards, there were a few g school girls. Years of experience taught them to focus on the girls that were traveling alone. Though there were some who failed to meet their standards, there were a few who were isolated because they failed to fit it with the other girls be it clubs and activities or even with their peers. The popular girls traveled in packs while the less popular girls walked alone. Few would care about the girl that walked by herself.

With a wolf-like grin he waited for her to approach.

Even in their packs most of the girls had crossed the street to avoid dealing with the well dressed young man.

Her eyes hidden behind her long bangs, she scanned the street for any outlets, security cameras, and individuals who might intervene. She knew that the other girls from her school wouldn't help her. Not only were they physically not built for any athletic ability, but they just didn't like her.

"Hey, have you ever ridden a Ferrari?" the man asked as he moved to obstruct her path. "I guarantee that a ride in this baby will bring a smile to your face."

"I can't," she muttered, "please don't bother me." Cautiously she backed away, moving towards an abandoned alley.

"Hey now," he said with a feral grin "it ain't no problem. It's just a fine little drive, yeah?" He continued to walk forward, backing her into the alley. "Not everyone gets a chance to ride a Ferrari, much less an F40."

"P-please, I'm begging you," she replied as she continued to back into the alley, "please, just stop following me…"

"Oh? And how are you going to stop me?" he asked with a leer. Spitting out his cigarette he stomped on it before following her into the alley.

Her eyes scanned the street, noting that the girls had scurried away, leaving the street completely abandoned. The alley was narrow but clean, though the lighting was poor leaving many dark shadows and now clear sign of any security cameras much less of workers milling about.

"Ah," he sighed as he pulled off her glasses, "I knew it! No make-up, but take away your glasses and you're quite the looker." He leered as she took another step back blindly. "I'll make a real woman out of you – ever last inch of you!"

A black presence, unseen to the man, stood between the man and his target. She knew that he couldn't see it or the others that protected her. She had named all four of the ghosts – the one that was intervening currently was named Hibiki. Though they were all humanoid in form, they also had a habit of enveloping her limbs and forcing her to act. Hibiki did just that, wrapping herself around the girl's legs. Before either the girl or the man knew it, she had kicked him in the face with enough force to send him flying through the air to crash into his prized Ferreri over five meters away. While she was capable of delivering the blow herself, Hibiki had added more force to the blow while also ensuring that she did not hurt herself while delivering the kick.

Her normally loose knee socks had added mass thanks to Hibiki, aiding her as she dashed away from the alley. The man would survive, though he had been knocked out by her kick, and the streets had been empty when they'd entered the alley, but several stores had security cameras that had probably recorded them.

"Gettou-sa"

Part of her wanted to attack the spiky light brown haired boy. Not only did he appear to be a delinquent but he had seen her dispose of the well-dressed thug. Before she could plant her feet and unleash another kick she recognized the unkempt school uniform and then the face beneath the crumbs, "Kusukegawa?"

"Wow!" Kaito remarked as he gazed at the unconscious man that had flattened the red sports car. "I never knew you were a black belt!"

"It… it's not like that," she stammered. "Please, I'm begging you – you absolutely cannot tell anyone what you just saw!"

"We should get out of here," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her deeper into the alley. "I know a short-cut."

Ducking through the dark alleys and avoiding the streets as much as they could, they did not stop until they heard the blaring of an ambulance's siren. Reaching a well lit street, he released her hand, "Sorry about that."

She said nothing. Averting her eyes, she fell into step beside him.

"It's a hassle dealing with the cops," he stated. "That guy's connected - his family's probably got the cops in their pocket. They'd likely hassle you for smacking him around like you did."

Ducking into a store moments before a police car zoomed past them, she kept her eyes on Kaito as he picked up a pair of drinks. He still had not said anything about her request.

"Damn," he muttered, "I'm short, can I bum 200 yen?"

So this was his game, extortion. Nodding silently, she reached into her bag for her wallet and pulled out the coins. To her surprise he purchased two cans, handing her one before he even bothered to open his own.

"So, you practice karate?" he asked as he opened his can.

She could feel a weight in the pit of her stomach as she reluctantly took the drink. "That's not it at all!" she exclaimed. Cracking open the beverage she sipped at it, giving herself an excuse to avoid talking to him.

"No worries – I'm sure you've got your reasons for not wanting anyone to know about that," he said with a shrug. In one quick gulp he emptied the can. "We've all got things we don't want to share with others."

They walked in awkward silence for a few blocks before she stopped.

"Oh, you live here?" he asked as he eyed the apartment building.

"Yeah," she replied quickly. The modest three story building was a U shape with all the apartment doors facing the parking lot, while the building itself was several blocks away from any connivance stores, restaurants, and was directly surrounded by several factories and warehouses. It was not the best neighborhood, but the rent was obviously cheap and the apartment itself was fairly spacious.

Rushing to her apartment she overlooked the fact that she took the steps two at a time while wearing her school skirt. She was just glad to be back in her apartment, the incident in the alley long forgotten. Opening the door to her apartment she felt Hibiki release her grip on her legs and arms. The long winding coils that made up the ghost's body had been wrapped around her since the alley. Though no normal person could see the ghosts, she had been too self-conscious to allow Hibiki to move after they had left the dark alley.

"I'm going to need new socks," she sighed as she pulled off the knee socks. The white and pink articles were usually large and saggy on her, but whenever one of the ghosts enveloped her for too long her clothes paid the ultimate price. While the ghosts were able to roam around without her, she did not like to have them around should she encounter someone who might actually be able to see them. She only allowed them loose in her apartment, and only when no one else was around. To her each of them was distinctive – Hibiki had thicker limbs and claws, Fujiko was physically the lean and tall with clearly defined fingers on her hands, and Mikiri the stoutest with strong hands and arms for grabbing and subduing. Aside from their appearance, each of them had their own distinct personality. Fujiko was the most childlike and obsessed with food; Hibiki was more aggressive and the most likely to try and venture out of the apartment; while Mikiri was the most defensive and analytical. Motoko was comfortable allowing the three of them loose in her apartment and occasionally at night as they helped handle a few chores. "That's too much rice!"

Fujiko shook her head at Mikiri even as she put on some music to help drown out the fact that Motoko was talking to the ghosts. Having been out on the street, Hibiki excused herself, dissolving into nothingness and allowing the other ghosts to wander around the apartment.

The ghosts were, well, not actual ghosts but different personas that could take physical form as well as take control of her body if she was in sufficient danger. Hibiki had taken over her when the pervert had tried to assault her but in doing so she had destroyed Motoko's socks as a result. Hibiki tended to have the least regard to property damage while Mikiri tended destroy Motoko's clothes, only Fujiko seemed to limit the property damage but she was also the least likely to come out.

But there were times when she did not mind allowing one of the three to take control despite the fact that she often did not recall whatever occurred while one of the others was in control of her body. Whenever she remained conscious though the girls had to coil themselves around her body, making it appear as though her body filled out her oversized clothes in various ways - Miriki tended to add mass to her torso as well as extend her limbs by enveloping her hands and feet with their black yet invisible matter and padding her already considerable ample breasts with a protective layer that often ripped the bra she was wearing at the time. Hibiki enveloped her hands, feet, elbows and knees similarly to wearing comfortable shoes, gloves, and knee and elbow pads. Fujiko focused on increasing her speed, thus shifting the shoes into springy shoes and knee braces/pads.

She noticed that whenever one of the girls took over, her face was slightly sore afterwards, something that Fujiko had explained was a result of them adjusting and enhancing her eyes so that they could see perfectly without the aid of glasses or contacts. They also did some physical changes to her body, adding their invisible/black matter to her muscles, shifting her mass to suit their needs while not revealing themselves. Never sure if/when one of the girls would feel the need to take over, she was forced to wear baggy, durable athletic clothes to avoid having the clothing being destroyed.

The apartment was her haven, the one place where she could and did relax her guard, allowing one of the girls to take control of her within the safe confines or even allowing one of them out to wander through her apartment. It was also the place where no one would care what she was or wasn't wearing. It helped that she was not popular at school and while she was smart she was not the top in her class, and that she was not involved in any clubs, thus there were few who bothered to speak to her at school much less want to visit her outside of school.

She was used to her life. No one needed to know that she saw ghosts or that they occasionally possessed her. Still, it had been nice to be able to share a drink and talk with someone.

* * *

The salty air of the summer sea danced along her sweaty skin, providing her with temporary relief from the heat and humidity. The isolated cliff was far from the main trails and beaches, providing her with privacy and a grand view of the rock formations. Only the sound of the waves hitting the rocks below could be heard as she stripped off her sweat soaked shirt and shorts. With no one around she did not have to worry about her undersized bikini and how much skin she was showing.

"I was right," a familiar voice sneered just as she had her t-shirt over her face, "you are a looker. Your tits are threatening break out of your bikini."

Before she could free her hands from her shirt she felt something flat and hard connect with her shoulder. She fought the instinct to kick as her arms and head were still trapped in her shirt. She felt his full weight as he tried to tackle her to the ground.

Suddenly everything went black.

* * *

Feeling the weight of a fully grown man atop her was nothing foreign to Mikiri. She was used to being on the bottom and on her back. Even with her shirt over her head, the energetic girl knew how to defend herself and how to make the most of the situation.

A rough hand grabbed at her left breast pulling off the already strained bikini and breaking the strings. 'Motoko's gonna blame me for this,' she lamented. With his hands trying to grope her, she took the opportunity to remove the t-shirt.

"You've got some nice tits," the eager man stated with a grin.

"Motoko doesn't like you," Mikiri stated as she grabbed the man's wrist. With a deft twist she drove him into the ground even as she rolled out from underneath him.

The rushing air was all the warning she needed to know that she'd miscalculated. She'd failed to consider the landscape and terrain. Still, she was a skilled grappler and knew how to wrestle for position, ensuring that Motoko's attacker took the bulk of the damage as they fell down the face of the cliff. At the last moment she kicked off of him, slowing her fall while forcing him to hit the sand first. Landing atop him she kneed his back, targeting his kidneys.

"You bitch!" he exclaimed.

She didn't waste her breath or time with a witty quip – that was something Fujiko did – instead she grabbed hold of his good arm, locking her legs around his torso as she locked in the arm bar.

"ARRHH!"

She pulled and twisted even as she felt his muscles and tendons in his arm pop as she hype-extended it. Her opponent may have been larger and stronger, but when it was just one arm against all of her, Mikiri knew to bet on her.

With the arm hanging useless, she rolled away. Regaining her feet she couldn't help but smile as she watched him grasping at his injured arm. Slipping behind him, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she applied a rear-naked choke. "Shh…. It's better this way," she said soothingly. "You won't feel a thing." It took but a moment for him to pass out. Once she was sure that he wasn't just faking, she released the hold.

Motoko's shirt and bikini were a lost cause, and the groper didn't have a shirt, so Mikiri was left with but one option. She didn't care really, but she knew Motoko would, especially if she woke up in public. Retracing the fall, Mikiri made her way up the cliff expertly climbing up to the top she found Motoko's pack. "She did pack an extra shirt!" Beaming triumphantly, she pulled the shirt on. "But where am I? It looks like she went to the beach, but I don't recognize this one."

Taking up the pack she made her way down the trail. The long hike was typical for Motoko as she often opted to remain isolated to avoid trouble and conflict. Right now Mikiri wanted ice cream or some shaved ice. It was just too hot and humid.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Kaito's voice pierced the haze, pulling her out of the darkness.

The cool ocean pulled away graduals of sand from around her feet even as the ocean receded. She could feel the tight hot shorts that Mikiri favored, as well as a loose t-shirt, but no bra. Mikiri had definitely been the one to take over, but what happened?

Her hands were sticky and the smell of chocolate mint suggested that Mikiri had managed to find an ice cream stand. The last thing that she'd remembered was being on the cliff overlooking the ocean and beach, but found herself a good distance away from the beach. She was never alright whenever one of them took over. Physically she tended to be fine, but the violence and destruction that they tended to leave in their wake… there was a reason why she avoided getting into situations where one of them had to take over. It was one thing to let them out in her apartment and another when they felt the need to forcibly take over her. "I'm alright," she lied. "I just had too much ice cream."

Slipping on her glasses she noticed that he couldn't help but steal glances at her breasts as her t-shirt was damp with sweat. Still, he was trying to be nice about it by not staring like the other boys that were around. She could tell that he was conflicted, but by what she wasn't sure.

"Do you need a ride back?" he finally asked.

She didn't need to glance around again to know that not accepting would likely bring out Hibiki as the boys that were loitering were likely to provoke her. "Okay, thanks."

"Hope on," he said as he handed her his helmet.

The sound of the air rushing past her as she clung to Kaito was surprisingly exhilarating. Clinging to his back, she could not help but notice the scrapes and bruises on his back and shoulder. Had he taken a spill on his bike? Was that why he was riding this motorcycle instead of his dirt bike? That would explain why the helmet she was currently wearing was so beat up.

"Sorry," Kaito said as the bike came to a stop. She couldn't help but wonder what was up as he stopped at a bus stop well into the mountain roads. "I know I told you I'd give you a ride back, but I've got this friend that needs my help."

Motoko nodded, "I understand." Really, she didn't, but what else could she say. "What can I do to help?"

Again he hesitated, then finally he nodded, "I need you to swear to me that you won't tell anyone about this."

Though Kaito seemed to be a loner who did his own thing, it was only because he was very selective with whom he trusted. He was putting his trust in her now. She nodded.

He took the bike up a side road that soon became a dirt trail. They took the bike as far up the dirt trail as they could so that it couldn't be seen from the road, then made their way further up the trail and the mountain. Though he was carrying a bag already he offered to take hers, blushing slightly as he realized that he could see down her t-shirt. She blushed in response, shaking her head even as she shifted her shoulders forward in an attempt to minimize the size of her bust. "That's not necessary. It just looks big and heavy but it's not really that bad."

The trail led to a worn down cabin that wasn't abandoned. She could tell that someone had put the minimal effort into maintaining it as the windows and door appeared functional and unbroken.

"I'm back," Kaito stated as he approached the door. "I brought some food and stuff."

"Who's she?" a voice replied.

"I'm a friend," Motoko replied. Proper manners would have been to give her name, but from the way he had spoken it seemed best that names not be used. As the other boy stepped into the light she understood why – he was the boy in the news, Kei Nagai, the recently discovered Ajin.

Kei Nagai was Japan's third reported case of an Ajin – a seemingly immortal human. From the looks of things he was still wearing the clothes that he'd initially died in as there was still blood on his shirt and pants. The local police and federal agents had been searching for him all night, they'd even stopped the bus to the beach that she'd been on.

It was no wonder that Kaito had been reluctant to bring her here.

The two boys had a quick stare down in which Nagai relented.

"I trust her," Kaito stated firmly.

"Is there a bathroom?" she squeaked out.

"By the back door, on the left," Kaito replied.

The tiny cabin only had a decently sized bathroom allowing her the space to change had she brought a change of clothes. Only the bathroom had actual walls while the rest of the cabin had wall dividers except for the outside walls.

A beach towel and bath towel were enough for her to freshen up a bit, though her shirt would need to be washed. Not wanting to go topless or in a wet t-shirt around two boys, she opted to wait to wash her shirt.

Mikiri had apparently grabbed someone's wallet as well as some other things while she'd been in control. There were also two revolvers, a box of ammo, a small wakizashi, an envelope full of cash, needles and a vial of fenethylline, and sleeping pills. The drugs she stashed under the sink before returning everything to her backpack.

Once she was sure that they had cleared the air she exited the bathroom. "We should change the plates on the bike," she found herself volunteering as she made the distinct connection to Kaito's new ride. "The police might be looking for it already. You'll also have to start using a different connivance store since the local one likely knows who you are and might even realize that you're not on your usual bike. We should also set up some alarms so that we won't be surprised by any unexpected visitors."

Both boys were surprised by her suggestions. Clearly neither had thought that far ahead.

"It's summer break for us so no one will think anything of us not being around our apartments," she added. "Still, we're going to need more supplies. If we set up a campfire the smoke will attract attention. We're going to need a butane burner so that we can cook indoors. "We'll need burner phones, maybe even walkie talkies."

Kaito shrugged.

She emptied her pack and handed him the wallet. "Here, go to a different store and pick up what we need. The burner is the most important thing, then food and clothes. Get a hat too – your hair makes you stand out – and make sure you cover your hair when you use the card since most ATM's have cameras. And get some riding gloves so that you don't leave finger prints behind."

She texted him the list to make sure that he knew what to get even as he used some mud to obscure the bike's license plate.

"You're pretty resourceful," Nagai said as used some string and empty cans to set some tripwire alarms along the trail.

"My fathers believe that I should always be prepared," she said as she used the wakizashi to cut a branch.

"Fathers?" he repeated.

"Friends of my mother," she said offhandedly. "They helped raise me after she passed."

With several alarms set around the cabin, she had Nagai walk back to the cabin first. Following his footsteps she carefully and expertly used the branch and the leaves to sweep away any footsteps

Kaito returned just as the sun set behind them. Darkness quickly settled in even as the mountain blocked out the sun.

They ate a meal of instant ramen before huddling together for warmth. Not wanting risk attracting any attention they sat in the dark save for the illumination from their cell phones. Even in the summer the temperature in the mountains at night could drop down into the single digits.

"I should have bought some more blankets," Kaito stated.

"And a futon," Nagai muttered.

Between the three of them there were but two blankets and one futon. Motoko nodded, she'd failed to take the weather into account. Even if she had, it wouldn't have mattered as there had been no means for Kaito to bring another futon to the cabin without drawing unwanted attention. It did not help that she was wearing only a tee-shirt and hot shorts while the boys had pants.

"Here," Nagai said as he handed her his blanket, "I'm immortal, the cold isn't too bad. If I die I'll just come back."

There was something sad about his statement that prompted her to speak, "I don't want you to be uncomfortable on my behalf." She handed him the blanket. "We can sleep sitting up on the futon. I'll just sit in the middle." She was glad that it was dark as neither boy could see the blush on her face as she said that.

* * *

'Wake up!' Fujiko urged her. Not wanting her to take over, Motoko did as commanded. The light of dawn was slowly piercing the canopy. Dawn was much earlier in the mountain than in than at sea level. Slipping out from between the two sleeping friends she quietly made her way to the bathroom.

Kaito had not been able to secure some clothes for her during his last shopping trip forcing her to wash her clothes in the light of the early dawn. With no other options she washed her clothes but left her beach towel nearby should she need to cover up.

Sleeping sitting up with two boys was not the most comfortable sleep. She could feel a few knots and kinks in her muscles. Rather than going through a kata or scale she opted to just do some light stretching.

The warmth of the sun felt nice on her bare skin, chasing away the chill of the mountain night.

"You're awake." Nagai's voice startled her. For a moment she forgot her state of undress and turned around. Both of them blushed but it was Motoko who reached for the beach towel. "S-sorry."

He couldn't look her in the face, not after seeing her in the nude. "I guess you're just a regular teenage boy after all," she joked, "even if you're an immortal Ajin."

He scratched his head even as his blush deepened, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Finally he turned to look at her, "I'm sorry, I was afraid that you"

"had run to turn you in?" she finished.

"Yeah."

"I won't betray his trust," she stated. "You should trust him as well. He considers you his friend and he's willing to put himself at risk for you even though you're the immortal and he's just a regular guy."

"But what about you? Are you willing to endanger yourself for me?"

"I won't betray his trust," she reiterated. "And I've been in some pretty dangerous situations on my own.

"He's a good guy, despite his reputation. He gets into trouble because he tries to do the right thing. He'd be hurt if you left without any warning."

Nagai averted his eyes again. "What would you suggest I do? I don't want to endanger the only friend I have. We've already been run off the road and shot at."

"It doesn't matter that you might die because you can't die, but you don't want to endanger the ones who would stay dead."

He shrugged. "Yeah. It doesn't make sense that there are only 48 known Ajin in the world when the population of the world is 7 billion. There have to be more Ajin out there who haven't been exposed or outed."

"You think that they've established a network to help each other and that they might reach out to help you," she finished his thought. "But how?"

Nagai held out Kaito's cell phone.

"If they know about him, won't the police know too?"

His eyes focused on the cell phone.

"Someone called," she surmised.

He nodded. "They had my sister's phone."

"Are you sure it was her phone and not just someone using Caller ID spoofing? By now the press has already identified you, so everyone who's interested could find out about your family."

"No," he shook his head, "I'm fairly certain that he had her phone, or he's at least an Ajin like me."

She gave him a curious look, unsure what the caller could have said to convince him.

"He asked me if I'd ever seen a 'black ghost'."

She froze.

"You've seen a black ghost, haven't you?"

* * *

A/N

I think I'll leave things here for now.

Just something that has been in the back of my mind for a while now.

Dreamingfox


End file.
